“Oh, please do!” At her tone, Sillikin yipped, and it was like a call to order. “I apologize, my lord. I shouldn’t sink to squabbling.”
“If you have done so, so have I, and I never squabble. If the problem of your mother-in-law was swept away, would you consider my offer of marriage?”
“It can’t be.”
“Extend your imagination, ma’am.”
He snapped it as a command, so she did. Could she marry this man? Moments ago she’d been sure she couldn’t. That she couldn’t bear him. Now she was reminded of the alternative. So could she marry him?
His title was almost as perfect a fit as his clothing. He was daunting. Like glass or marble, Lord Dauntry seemed smooth and impenetrable, and clearly that was his nature as well. However, “smooth” and “impenetrable” might also meancalmandcontrolled. She wasn’t attracted by such coolness, but she could tolerate it, especially as he intended to spend much of his time in Town.
Sillikin licked her chin. “You have wisdom to offer?” she asked, then blushed for it. She glanced back at Lord Dauntry but saw no disapproval. She saw nothing she could make sense of. He was waiting as if he would wait forever, and, yes, as if it were a matter of turnips or cabbages.
“Why?” she asked.
He didn’t pretend confusion. “I need to make a practical marriage as soon as possible. Apart from occasional lapses and an odd habit of conferring with your dog, you seem a direct, forthright woman who is not easily overwhelmed. Moreover, if you will excuse frankness, you are easily to hand and have the endorsement of Mrs. Lulworth, whom I admire. Why are you hesitant?”
“My mother-in-law...”
He waved that away with a gesture of a rather beautiful hand. “This marriage will be very advantageous to you. You will become Viscountess Dauntry and have all the wealth and privilege that entails. As husband, I will do my best not to distress you in any way, as long as you do the same for me.”
There was a subtle threat in that, but one she understood. She wasn’t to object to his absence or anything he did when away. That would be no challenge. She could imagine the kind of mistress this man would have, and the woman was welcome to him, as long as his peccadilloes took place far from her.
Peccadilloes.
Petty sins.
She didn’t think Viscount Dauntry did anything in a petty way, but she’d be insane to refuse this opportunity, and the longer he waited patiently, the more she believed in his disinterested control.
She spoke before she lost courage. “I accept your offer, my lord.”
“And your mother-in-law?”
She blushed for the deception. “As you implied, by coming here, I’d already decided not to be ruled by her concerns. If she’s distressed, I truly regret that, but I can’t live in mourning forever.”
“Grief can be a consuming emotion, but the grieving are generally able to see sense. A love match might wound her, but I won’t replace her son in that way. I suggest that you write to her and explain my predicament, presenting the marriage as a practical and charitable act.”
“That’s cunning.”
“You see my attempt to ease her mind as a fault?”
In a way, Kitty did. It was as if he were moving pieces on a chessboard, but she could see how it might work. She’d prefer not to add to Lady Cateril’s pain.
“You could also claim to need a purpose in life,” he suggested.
How had he guessed that would weigh with her mother-in-law?
“I’ll write the letter,” she said.
“Good. Shall we marry tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow!”
“I’ve already acquired a license.”
She took a step back. “You were so sure of me, sir?”
“My dear lady, for a few shillings I could be prepared. That is all. Mrs. Lulworth supplied all the necessary information.”
